Folded and bonded paperboard, corrugated cardboard and foam scoops and containers are often used in the fast food and quick serve restaurant industry, for example. Advantageously, such scoops and containers are relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, assemble, ship, store and use, and are typically disposable. Often, it is desirable for these scoops to be stacked one on top of the other during shipment, storage and dispensing. When the scoops are stacked, it is desirable that they become fully nested one within the other. If the scoops are not fully nested, the stack of scoops will take up more space than necessary and may become unstable. Additionally, it can result in multiple scoops sticking together when a user intends to grab only one scoop from the stack. Any small variation in size or shape among the scoops can lead to them not fully nesting and can also result in interferences that lead to difficulty in removing just one scoop from the stack.
Additionally, it is desirable for scoops, especially those used for holding food products, to include a generally sealed bottom so as to prevent food, dressings and seasonings placed thereon from escaping through the bottom of the scoop. Because scoops are typically manufactured in the hundreds of thousands, incremental decreases in materials and glue and increased efficiency in handling and use may lead to significant cost savings.
Thus, a need exists for a scoop that can be produced in high volumes while maintaining tolerances of manufacture that result in the scoops being of precisely the same size and shape. A need also exists for a scoop having a generally sealed bottom that can be produced with minimal amounts of material and glue in order to promote cost savings.